Method for extracting potassium and sodium compounds from silicates which contain alkalis.



. rnans PATENT onmon.

ANTON MESSERSCI-IMITT, OF STOLBERG, GERMANY. 7

METHOD FOR. EXTRACTING POTASSIUM AND SODIUM COMPOUNDS FROM SILICATESWHICH CONTAINALKALISQ No Drawing.

' residing in the city of Stolberg, Rhine Prov- (lroxid or soda-ash.

ince, Germany, have invented newnnd useful Improvements 1n Methods forExtracting Potassium and Sodlum Compounds from Silicates which-ContainAlkalis, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a method for extracting potassium and sodiumcompounds from silicates which contain alkalis.

An object of the invention is to utilize calcium carbonates, mainly inthe form of" by-products resulting from soda manufacturing processes,for this method, said byproducts having not been utilized heretofore. I

Another object of the invention is to extract the aforementionedcompounds fromcalcium carbonate in finely divided conditions. saidcarbonate being obtained in this condition mainly as by-products in sodamanufacturing processes.

Another object of the invention is to save the expense incidental topreparatory operations on the raw material; as the raw material, whichforms the basis of the method, does not require any additional crushing,grinding or pulverizing.

Another ob 'ect of the invention is to increase the output of the methodcompared with" known methods for extracting the aforementioned compoundsfrom silicates.

Other objects will be more fully understood by reference to thefollowing specification and will be pointed out in and by the appendedclaims.

-The basis of the method is calcium carbonate, in finely dividedcondition. This material may preferably be obtained in processes' forthe manufacture of sodium hybonate is treated-with calcium hydroxid a ofsoda, which is based upon sodium ch'lorid as starting material, one ofthe by-products is calcium sulfid and sodium carbonate. Theseby-products are utilized in the Chance-'Clauss process, wherein they arecar- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filedMarch 1, 1912. Serial No 680,987.

tended with great difliculties' or were too When sodium car-' PatentedMar. 24,1914.

bonized to form calcium carbonate and hydrogen sulfid. In this processthe calcium carbonate also is obtained in the form of a slime or paste.The present method preferably makes use'of this slime for the, purposeof extracting potassium or sodiumcompounds from' ,minerals' whichcontain alkalis.

In the followinga description of one Way I I for performing the methodwill be'given by way of example.

' The silicates are added in pulverized to the slime, containing thecalcium carbonbe utilized heretofore on account of the large quantity ofwater contained therein. The water, amounting sometimes to fifty percent. of the weight of the slime, could not be withdrawn therefrom, evenwhen suction filters were used for this purpose. Attempts have been madeto dry the slime, but they proved futile, as they were eitheratexpensive. Experiments for utilizing the slime for other purposes werenot successful on a commercial scale, or could onlybe of importance interritories in which. lime is considered an expensive material.

The described method shows great adv vantages over known methods-forfreeing alkalis from silicates, like feldspar, mica, leucite,phonolites, trass and such like, by glowing the same with lime orlimestone. If these-last named materials areto be used, they must becrushed and ground to a very finepowder-likedust. mixed with thesilicates which also have to' This dust must be be ground. This methodis extremelyexpensive, not only on accountof the grinding andpulverizing operations which requires large plants. but also on accountof the high prices for the lime or limestone.

The slime, resulting as by-product from the above described sodaprocesses however.

is useless for almost any other purpose and therefore it may be statedthat the calcium carbonate utilized for the present method does not costanything. The expensive crushing, grinding and pulverizing' opera-'tionsunay be dispensed with entirely, for the calcium carbonate isherein-the form of.

yapreci-pitate and it is a well known fact that precipitates are muchfiner powders than. can be obtained in mechanical grindersQ Furthermore,the presence of water is Ofgreat advantage in the described method, forit is desirable to. get, a plastic mass which can readily be kneaded forthe purpose of distributing fthe added silicates. uniformlythr'oughoutthe mixture; it is obvious that this plastic mass can beshaped readily into the" form of briquets, sticks orthe like tofacilitate handling, shipping and other operations, This extremefineness of the pre- -(soda, sodium carbonate).

"-cipitatedcalciuni carbonate and the uniform 'distribution thereof alsoresult in a. larger. output, compared with the utilization of crushedlime. a

The slime resulting from the manufacture of caustic-soda (lye) or from.the carboniz ing processaccording to Chance-C1auss,very often containslarge amounts of soda-ash As the slime heretofore was considered as anobnoxious waste product, the advantage obtained by the prcsent method isstill enhanced. This slime includes sometimes large amounts of i soda.This soda, not only influences favor ably" the decomposition of thesilicates, but it may also be freedby the present method and regainedfrom the slime; The slime is likely to contain other impurities, buttests the lime, without exerting any detrimental effect.

I claim:

, 1. The process of producing soluble so dium and potassium compoundsfrom silicates containing alkalis, which comprises thoroughlyincorporating the finely powd'ered silicates withundried precipitatedcalcium carbonate, and heatingthe' mixture to the decomposingtemperature. 2. The process of producing soluble sodium and 'potassiumcompounds from silicates containing alkalis, which comprises thoroughlyincorporating finely powdered silicates with the slime containingundried preclpitated calcium carbonate resulting from a soda,manufacturing process, heating the mixture-to the decomposingtemperature, and lixlviatlng.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses;

ANTON MESSERSCHMITT.

' "Witnesses:

HENRY QUADFLIEG, ELIZE KoLBosoH.

